Dr. Donald Chi, the UW School of Dentistry’s outgoing Associate Dean for Research and professor in the Department of Oral Health Sciences, has been selected as the recipient of the International Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (IADR) E.W. Borrow Memorial Award. The award was established to recognize and stimulate research in oral health promotion for children, with a priority for caries prevention where fluoride in different formats is utilized.
Dr. Chi has dedicated extensive time in his career thus far to studying and disseminating evidence-based research on fluoride treatments. In 2023, he led a research project that sought to explain why some parents reject fluoride for their children. He enacted the study based on a trend he had seen where, as time progressed and the internet became more accessible, more parents started walking into dental offices with hesitancy to fluoride.
“I think my research on fluoride hesitancy has brought attention to an issue in dentistry that, 20 years ago, very few thought was worth studying,” said Dr. Chi. “In fact, it was in 2006, while I was a first-year pediatric dentistry resident that I first saw fluoride hesitancy in the clinic. It was that single initial observation that planted the seed for a line of scientific research that has become important in understanding why individuals are concerned about fluoride and legitimizing this concern.”
As an expert in the field, Dr. Chi has recently given lectures and taught courses on fluoride and fluoride hesitancy. Over the past two years, he has been featured in various news outlets, such as the NY Post and CBS News, as a voice explaining the benefits of water fluoridation.
“What we don’t know is how to address this complex challenge, which is a threat to the only evidence-based preventive strategy we currently have in dentistry,” continued Dr. Chi. “I’m deeply thankful to the Borrow Foundation and IADR for recognizing the importance of this work.”
The E.W. Borrow award commenced in 1992 and is awarded annually. Nominations are reviewed by a BMF/IADR Committee. The individual selected receives a monetary award of $3,500 and a plaque, which was presented at the Opening Ceremonies of the IADR General Session & Exhibition.